Bursting charge for containers intended to be exploded



L. REESE. BURSTING CHARGE FOR CONTAINERS INTENDED TO BE EXPLODED, ANDPROCESS OF FORMING SMD CHARGE. 7 APPLICATION FILED AUG-4.1917.

1,3G95g iufented July 8, 1919.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. REESE, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, ASSIGNOR T0 E. I. DU FONT DE-NEMOURS AND COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON. DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

BURSTING CHARGE FOR CONTAINERS INTENDED TO BE EXPLODED. AND PROCESS OFFORMING SAID CHARGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

*atcnted July 8, 1919.

' Application filed August 4, 1917. Serial No. 184,490.

1 b all whom 2'1- mug concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. REESE, of 'ilmington, in the county ofNew Castle, and in the State of Delaware, have invented a certain newand useful Improvement in Bursting Charges for Containers Intended to beExploded, and Processes of Forming Said Charges, and do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

This invention relates to bursting charges for containers intended to beexploded, such as shells, grenades, torpedoes, mincs, etc, and processesoi forming said charges in the containers which are to hold them.

The object of the invention is to provide such a bursting charge andprocess which shall have, among others, the advantages of renderingavailable new sources of raw materials; of providing materials capableof being used for the purpose, either by themselves or with others; andof providing a process by which said mixtures can be cast into shells orother containers intended to be exploded, and there caused to solidifyand completely till the space provided for the charge, and to such endsthe. invention comprises the bursting charge for shells, grenades.torpedoes, mines and other containers intended to be exploded, and theprocess of forming the same hereinafter specified.

In the accompanying drawing The figure is an axial HGCLIOII of a shellcontaining a bursting charge embodying my invention.

The invention is capable of being carried out in many difi'erent ways,but for the purpose of 'llustration only one form of the invention willbe described herein.

In filling with bursting charges, containers intended to be exploded,such as shells, grenades, torpedoes, mines, etc., it is desirable tointroduce the largest possible charge into a iven space, so as toproducethemaximum possible bin-sting effect. TllllltlOtOlllOl hasheretofore been used to a very large extent, hecausd, among otherreasons, ithas a relatively'low melting point and is therefore easilymcltedrit can he kept melted while being introduced into the shell orother body,

and it does not freeze or solidify until it has reached the [inalcondition in which it is to remain. The supply of t'rinitrotoluol.however. may not be adequate. and it is very desirable to render othermaterials available to replace the trinitrotoluol wholly or in part. Ihave discovered a new bursting charge for the said purpose. which isot'high power. and which may consist wholly of a new substance, or of suchsubstance combined with other explosives. While the said substance is.lsct'ul and valuable when introduced into the shell or other containerin solid condition. its melting point is too high to permit it. as apractical matter. to be melted and cast into the shell. I have thereforeinvented a process b which the said substance can,'in cll'cct, becomepart ot a molten mass, of such low melting point as to be capable. olbeing successfully cast into the shell.

The new substance to which l rc'l'er is produced by the nitration ofaromatic hydrocarbons ot' the benzene series, having a higher boilingpoint than toluene, for instance a boiling point. between 13()H2 and. inparticular, by the nitration of xylene. The nitration is accomplished bythe use ol strong nitric and sulfuric acid,and the action is preferablyso controlled as to produce a solid. finely divided product. I lind thatwhen starting with xylene I am able to prepare a solid nitroxylene,which approximates trinitroxylene in composition.

This product can he detonated by ordinary commercial detonators, and hasan explosive t'orce nearly equal to that of trinitrotoluol.

In charging a shell, the uilroxylene 'may be pressed into the shell in adry condition, making a compact charge which is readily detonated by theusual primer, or it may be mixed with another nitro compound, such, forexample. as trinitrotoluol.

" In order to get'the ett'cct of completely casting the shell or othercontainer full of the explosive, I mix the said aromatic nitro bodies,made from the aromatic hydrocarbons, having boiling points higher thantoluol, with more easily fusible nitro bodies, such as trinitrotoluol,and cast the mixture together into the shell. For example, amixture ofapproximately 40% nitroxylene and matically, a shell ,we r e feasible. FI i v i lhe trnntrotoluolused may be either a (30% trinitrotoluol canbe'thusca'st. Desirable proportionsare to parts of trinitrotoluol and 50to 30, parts of nitroxylene.

In the figure of the accompanying drawing, I have shown, more or. lessdiagrambody 1, havii within it a bursting charge 2, such as havedescribed, and having a fuse-3 containing a detonator for detonating thebursting eharge Q.

By thus mixing and casting. the charges, it is not necessary to .use[temperatures greatly above those'ot themore easily fusible nitrobodies, and yet, substantially the same effect. is obtained as ifthemore difii cultly fusible. nitro bodies 'were melted and cast intothe shell or other container, if that crude product, such as obtainedbydirect nitration of toluol or' a productobtained by refining the crudeproduct. The mixture is prepared for casting by melting thetrinit-rotoluol and to this melted product; adding the solidtrinit-roxylol, keeping the temperature of the mixture well above themelting point of the triuitrotoluol. Thorough mix ing of the twoexplosives can be carried out method of mechanical by hand. Only a verysmall proportion of the trinitroxylol is soluble in or melted by thetrinitrotoluol.

It is not necessary duce a liomogenepus trinitroxylol can be added invery appreciable amounts until the mixture carries a that the mixturepromaximum percentage of trinitroxylol insuswhether the mixture can bepoured.-

' stated, represented by one used satisfzu-torily. I prefer,

The maximum percentage that can determined by Such pension, be added insuspension is a mixture is,'-as carrying 00%- ot' trinitrotoluol and 40%of trinitroxylol, :such a mixture pouring nicely at about t. Higherpercentages of trinitroxylol can be used, especially it highertemperatures are employed and lower percentages ot' trinit-roxylol ofcourse can be however, the 60-t() mixture, inasmuch as it produces amixture that can'be easily poured and gives a casting of excellentphysical and explosive properties,

This invention thus makes it possible to till a shell as completelywitha charge consisting partly of the more ditlicultly fusible nitro bodiesas it trinitrotol uol.

n01, in such proportions bination of 50 to containing molten'trinitrotoluol liquid product, but the containing moltentllllitlOiOluQtlO,

has heretofore been 7 ing point. I

2. A buisting charge comprising the combination of a highly nitratedxylene with 3. A bursting char e comprising the com-1 1 bination of anitrate xylene which is solid at ordinary temperatures; withtrinitrotolthat the. mixture can be poured at temperatures below C. 4. Abursting charge comprising'the com- 70 parts of trinitrotoluol and 50 to30 parts of a nitrated xylene.

5. A bursting charge comprisin r a liquid liaving a nitrated .xylenedissolved therein.

6. A bursting charge comprising a liquid containing moltentrinit-rotolucne having an'itrated xylene 1n suspension therein.

7 A bursting charge comprising a liquid containing moltentrinitrotoluene having a nitrated xylene dissolved and in suspensiontherein. 3 7

A burstingcharge comprising a liquid containing molten trinitrotoluenehaving a nitrated xylene. thereinin excess of the amount soluble in thetrinit-rotoluene.

9. A bursting charge comprising a liquid having trinitroxylene dissolvedtherein.

10. A bursting charge comprising a liquid containing molten 11. Abursting charge comprising a liquid torped0,

trinitrotoluol' having trmltroxylene suspended therein.

containing molten trinitrotoluol having trinitroxylene dissolved andsuspended. therein. A v 12. A bursting charge comprising a liquidcontaining molten trinitrotoluol having I trinitroxylene therein inexcess of the amount soluble in the trinitrotolnene.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto setmy handCHARLES 'L. REESE.

